Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device capable of appropriately determining a reserve price, an information processing method, and an information processing program.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises an acceptance unit, a constraint value decision unit, a price decision unit, a determination unit, and a charge amount decision unit. The acceptance unit accepts a submission of an advertisement for a second-price auction. The constraint value decision unit decides a constraint value defining, from budgetary constraints, an upper limit of the reserve price which serves as a lower limit value of a charge amount to an advertiser of the advertisement on the basis of the budget of the advertisement. The price decision unit decides the reserve price on the basis of a declared amount set by the advertiser and serving as the basis for a bid amount of the advertisement, and the constraint value. The determination unit determines whether or not the reserve price is higher than a second price. When the determination unit determines that the reserve price is higher than the second price, the charge amount decision unit decides the reserve price as the charge amount to the advertiser.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] With the rapid spread of the Internet, advertisements for companies and products are mainly distributed through the Internet, and advertisements distributed through the Internet are mainly determined by auctions.

[0003] An advertising auction is a system for efficiently buying and selling advertising space, and a known example of such an auction is the second-price auction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In a second-price auction, the advertiser who makes the highest bid acquires the advertising space at the second price, which is the second highest bid amount.

[0004] In a second-price auction, a reserve price is sometimes set to ensure the profits of the media owner providing the advertising space, and if the second price is lower than the reserve price, the advertiser who makes the highest bid will acquire the advertising space at the reserve price. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-4086 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, if the reserve price is determined in proportion to the declared amount set by the advertiser, the reserve price will be higher the higher the declared amount, even in cases where the budget is exhausted, and there is room for improvement in this respect.

[0007] The present application has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of appropriately determining a reserve price. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The information processing device according to the present application includes a reception unit, a constraint value determination unit, a price determination unit, a judgment unit, and a charge amount determination unit. The reception unit receives submission of an advertisement for a second price auction. The constraint value determination unit determines a constraint value that specifies an upper limit of a reserve price, which is a lower limit of an amount to be charged to an advertiser for the advertisement, from a budget constraint based on a budget for the advertisement. The price determination unit determines a reserve price based on a declared amount that is set by the advertiser and serves as a basis for a bid amount for the advertisement, and the constraint value. The judgment unit judges whether the reserve price is higher than the second price. The charge amount determination unit determines the reserve price as the amount to be charged to the advertiser when the judgment unit judges that the reserve price is higher than the second price. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect of the embodiment, it is possible to provide an effect that the reserve price can be appropriately determined. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining information processing according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information table stored in the user information storage unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an advertisement information table stored in the advertisement information storage unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining features of the reserve price determined by the price determination unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining features of the reserve price determined by the price determination unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a premise for explaining an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS when the reserve price determined by the price determination unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment is used in a case where the ROAS constraint is dominant. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS when the reserve price determined by the price determination unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment is used under the premise shown in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a premise for explaining an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS when the reserve price determined by the price determination unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment is used in a case where budget constraints are dominant. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS in a case where a reserve price determined by the price determination unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment is used under the premise shown in FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of information processing by the processing unit of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of a computer that realizes the functions of the information processing device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the information processing device, the information processing method, and the information processing program according to the present application (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the information processing device, the information processing method, and the information processing program according to the present application are not limited to these embodiments. In addition, each embodiment can be appropriately combined as long as the processing contents are not contradictory. In addition, the same parts in each of the following embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0012] [1. An example of information processing] First, an example of information processing according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining information processing according to the embodiment.

[0013] An information processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an information processing device that determines, by an auction, advertisements to be distributed from advertisements submitted by each advertiser A, and is realized by, for example, one or more servers or a cloud system.

[0014] The auctions executed by the information processing device 1 include a first price auction, a second price auction, etc. A first price auction is an auction in which advertiser A who submits the highest bid acquires an advertising space with the highest bid.

[0015] A second-price auction is an auction in which advertiser A, who submits the highest bid, acquires an advertising space at the second-highest bid, which is the second price. The second price is the winning bid of advertiser A, who submitted the highest bid, i.e., the amount charged, which is the amount paid by advertiser A, who submitted the highest bid.

[0016] In the second-price auction executed by the information processing device 1, a reserve price is set to ensure the profit of the media owner providing the advertising space, and if the second price is lower than the reserve price, advertiser A, who has made the highest bid, acquires the advertising space by charging the reserve price (winning bid amount).

[0017] In the example shown in FIG. 1(a), the first price, which is the highest bid amount, is 100, the second price is 10, and the reserve price r is 1, so the second price is higher than the reserve price r. Therefore, the charge amount (successful bid amount), which is the amount paid by advertiser A for the first price, is 10, which is the second price.

[0018] In the example shown in FIG. 1(b), the first price is 100, the second price is 10, and the reserve price r is 50, so the reserve price r is higher than the second price. Therefore, the charge amount (successful bid amount) that advertiser A pays for the first price is the reserve price r, or 50.

[0019] 1, the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment accepts advertisement submissions for the second-price auction from each advertiser A (step S1). For example, the information processing device 1 accepts submission information transmitted from the terminal device 2 of each advertiser A, thereby accepting advertisement submissions for the second-price auction from each advertiser A.

[0020] The submission information includes, for example, the advertisement to be distributed, target information including information indicating the target demographic of the advertisement, information indicating the declared amount v for bidding, and the budget P Budget The advertisement to be delivered is, for example, a search advertisement, a display advertisement, a video advertisement, a native advertisement, or the like.

[0021] The information indicating the target demographic of the advertisement is, for example, information indicating the attributes of the users who are the target of the advertisement, such as demographic attributes and psychographic attributes. The demographic attributes are, for example, age, sex, residence, occupation, etc., and the psychographic attributes are, but are not limited to, interests, preferences, lifestyle, etc.

[0022] The declared amount v is, for example, the average amount of the charge (winning bid amount) desired by the advertiser A, and is set by the advertiser A. Budget P Budget is, for example, the upper limit of the cost required to deliver the advertisement to be delivered. For example, the budget P Budget is a daily unit budget amount, but is not limited to such an example. For example, it may be a budget amount per several hours or per several days.

[0023] Next, the information processing device 1 sets the bid amount b for each advertisement accepted in step S1 (step S2). For example, the information processing device 1 sets the bid amount b for each advertisement from the declared amount v for each advertisement using the following formula (1). In the following formula (1), "α" is a coefficient. b = α × v (1)

[0024] In the above formula (1), the amount obtained by multiplying the declared amount v by the coefficient α is set as the bid amount b. The coefficient α is set so as to satisfy the ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend) constraint and the budget constraint. For example, the coefficient α is set so as to satisfy the ROAS (Return On Advertising Spend) constraint and the budget constraint when the cost (expense) is less than the budget P Budget The average of the billing amount, which is the amount paid by advertiser A for each advertisement delivery, is set to be equal to or less than the declared amount v.

[0025] For example, the information processing device 1 can set the coefficient α based on the past winning bid history in first price auctions, second price auctions, and the like, and can set the coefficient α for each target demographic, for example.

[0026] In this way, the information processing device 1 calculates the bid amount b based on the declared amount v, and makes a bid at the calculated bid amount b. Such bidding is also called uniform bidding, and is effective for advertiser A who has ROAS constraints, budget constraints, and the like.

[0027] The method of setting the bid amount b is not limited to the above-mentioned method, and may be a method other than the method using the above formula (1). The information processing device 1 may not use uniform bidding, but may treat the declared amount v as the bid amount b as it is.

[0028] Next, the information processing device 1 calculates the budget P Budget Based on this, the upper limit of the reserve price r, which is the lower limit of the winning bid amount that is the amount charged to each advertiser A, is determined from the budget constraint. Budget In step S2, the information processing device 1 determines, for example, the past successful bid price and the budget P Budget Based on and, the constraint value r Budget Determine.

[0029] For example, the information processing device 1 may calculate a past winning bid history in a first price auction and a budget P Budget Based on and, the advertising constraint value r Budget In this case, the information processing device 1 uses, for example, information indicating the winning bid amount on the previous day in the first price auction as the past winning bid history in the first price auction.

[0030] For example, the information processing device 1 determines whether the total amount of winning bids is within the budget P Budget The predicted bid amount is the constraint value r Budget The constraint value r can be determined as Budget is, for example, a value for each target layer, but is not limited to such an example.

[0031] The information processing device 1 determines a constraint value r Budget Assuming that the bid amount is b, the budget P Budget The constraint value r is set so that it does not use up all Budget Let us assume that.

[0032] The information processing device 1 may use the past bidding history in the second price auction instead of or in addition to the past bidding history in the first price auction.

[0033] In this case, the information processing device 1 determines whether the total amount of the successful bids is within the budget P Budget Above and budget P Budget Based on the average winning bid amount at the bid price that is predicted to exhaust Budget The average value of the successful bid price is, for example, the lower limit of the average value of the successful bid price, or an amount higher than the lower limit by a predetermined percentage or amount, but is not limited to such examples.

[0034] Next, the information processing device 1 determines the advertisement with the first price (highest) bid amount among the bid amounts of the advertisements subject to the second price auction as the advertisement to be distributed (step S4). The advertisement to be auctioned is, for example, an advertisement whose target demographic is users to whom the advertisement is to be distributed, but is not limited to such an example.

[0035] Next, the information processing device 1 calculates the declared amount v of the advertisement to be distributed determined in step S2 and the constraint value r of the advertisement to be distributed determined in step S3. Budget Based on this, the reserve price r is determined (step S5).

[0036] For example, the information processing device 1 can determine the reserve price r by using the following formula (2): In the following formula (2), “β” is a coefficient less than 1. r = β × min(v,r Budget ) ···(2)

[0037] It is preferable to set the coefficient β so that the reserve price r does not exceed the first price. By setting the coefficient β in this way so that the reserve price r does not exceed the first price, it is possible to avoid a situation where distribution is not possible due to the reserve price r.

[0038] In the above formula (2), the declared amount v and the constraint value r Budget The value obtained by multiplying the smaller amount of v by the coefficient β is determined as the reserve price r. Note that, when the information processing device 1 treats the declared amount v as the bid amount b as it is, the bid amount b and the constraint value r Budget The reserve price r is determined by multiplying the smaller of these amounts by the coefficient β.

[0039] Introducing the reserve price r is expected to improve social surplus. When the charge rate is low, the coefficient α used to calculate the bid amount b becomes large, which has the effect of taking away goods from advertisements that are truly valuable. By raising the charge rate and reducing the coefficient α used to calculate the bid amount b, it is expected that the taking away of goods from advertisements that are truly valuable will be reduced, and social surplus can be expected to improve.

[0040] Also, as shown in the above formula (2), min(v,r Budget ) as the constraint value r Budget Since the upper limit of the reserve price r is determined by, the upper limit of the reserve price r can be set based on the budget constraint.

[0041] Here, the constraint value r Budget The reserve price r in the case where the constraint value r is not used will be explained. Budget The reserve price r when not using is expressed by the following equation (3). r = β × v (3)

[0042] The graph shown in FIG. 1(d) is an example of a graph showing the relationship between the cost (total amount charged: Spend) and the effect (Return) when the target (goal) of the declared amount v is, for example, CPC (Cost Per Click). Note that in the following description, the effect (Return) is the number of CVs (conversions), but is not limited to this example.

[0043] In the graph shown in FIG. 1(d), consider the cases where the relationship between the cost and the CV number for the declared amount v is point P1 and point P2. When the relationship between the cost and the CV number is point P1, the declared amount v is higher than the declared amount v. + If you set it to v, the number of conversions will increase, but the average amount charged (winning bid) will be higher than the declared amount v, violating the ROAS constraint, and the declared amount v will be lower than the declared amount v. - If set, the number of CVs will decrease.

[0044] On the other hand, when the relationship between cost and CV number is at point P2, the declared amount v is higher than the declared amount v + If the cost increases with the increase in the declared amount v, the number of CVs decreases due to the budget constraint, and the declared amount v is lower than the declared amount v. - If you do this, the number of conversions will increase.

[0045] In this way, the cost is budget P Budget If the budget constraint is reached, the budget P Budget Since the budget for advertiser A is used up, Budget As long as the number of conversions can be increased, it is desirable and cost-effective.

[0046] Therefore, in step S5, the information processing device 1 determines the constraint value r Budget This sets an upper limit on the reserve price r, which makes the advertiser robust against changes in the declared amount v, as shown by point P3 in Figure 1(e), and advertiser A loses the motivation to tune the declared amount v.

[0047] Next, the information processing device 1 compares the reserve price r determined in step S5 with the second price, which is the second highest bid amount, and determines either the reserve price r or the second price as the amount to be charged (step S6). The successful bid amount is the amount to be charged to the advertiser A of the advertisement to be distributed, and is based on the budget P Budget is subtracted from

[0048] In step S6, if the second price is equal to or greater than the reserve price r, the information processing device 1 determines the second price as the amount charged (successful bid amount), and if the second price is less than the reserve price r, determines the reserve price r as the amount charged (successful bid amount).

[0049] In this way, the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment uses the advertising budget P Budget Based on this, the upper limit of the reserve price r, which is the lower limit of the amount charged to advertiser A (the winning bid amount), is determined by the budget constraint. Budget The advertiser A determines the declared amount v and the constraint value r that are the basis for the bid amount b of the advertisement. Budget In this way, the information processing device 1 can appropriately determine the reserve price r.

[0050] The configuration of an information processing system including an information processing device 1 that performs such processing and a plurality of terminal devices 2 will be described in detail below.

[0051] 2. Configuration of the Information Processing System 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing system 100 according to the embodiment includes an information processing device 1, a plurality of terminal devices 2, and a plurality of terminal devices 3.

[0052] The multiple terminal devices 2 are used by different advertisers A, and the multiple terminal devices 3 are used by users U. The terminal devices 2 and 3 are, for example, notebook PCs (Personal Computers), desktop PCs, smartphones, tablet PCs, and wearable devices. The wearable device is, for example, smart glasses or a smart watch, but is not limited to such examples.

[0053] The information processing device 1, the terminal device 2, and the terminal device 3 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly via a network N. Note that the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 2 may include a plurality of information processing devices 1 and the like.

[0054] The network N includes, for example, a Wide Area Network (WAN) such as the Internet and mobile communication networks such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), 4G (4th Generation), and 5G (5th Generation: 5th generation mobile communication system).

[0055] The terminal devices 2 and 3 can connect to the network N via short-range wireless communication such as a mobile communication network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and communicate with the information processing device 1.

[0056] 3. Configuration of information processing device 1 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 10, a storage unit 11, and a processing unit 12.

[0057] [3.1. Communication unit 10] The communication unit 10 is realized by, for example, a communication module or a NIC (Network Interface Card). The communication unit 10 is connected to a network N by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives information to and from various other devices. For example, the communication unit 10 transmits and receives information to and from each of the terminal device 2 and the terminal device 3 via the network N.

[0058] [3.2. Storage section 11] The storage unit 11 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a random access memory (RAM) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 11 has a user information storage unit 20, an advertisement information storage unit 21, and a successful bid history storage unit 22.

[0059] 3.2.1. User information storage unit 20 The user information storage unit 20 stores user information including information on the user U. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a user information table stored in the user information storage unit 20 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment.

[0060] 4, the user information table stored in the user information storage unit 20 includes items such as "user ID," "attribute information," etc. The "user ID" is identification information for identifying the user U.

[0061] The "attribute information" is attribute information of the user U corresponding to the "user ID", and includes, for example, psychographic attribute information, demographic attribute information, etc. Demographic attributes are, for example, gender, age, place of residence, and occupation, while psychographic attributes are interests such as travel, clothes, cars, and religion, lifestyle, thoughts, and thought trends.

[0062] 3.2.2. Advertising information storage unit 21 The advertisement information storage unit 21 stores advertisement information including information related to advertisements. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an advertisement information table stored in the advertisement information storage unit 21 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment.

[0063] 5, the user information table stored in the advertisement information storage unit 21 includes items such as "advertising ID," "advertising," "target," "declared amount," and "budget." The "advertising ID" is identification information for identifying an advertisement.

[0064] An "advertisement" is an advertisement corresponding to an "advertising ID", and is, for example, a search advertisement, a display advertisement, a video advertisement, a native advertisement, etc., but is not limited to these examples. A "target" is target information that is information indicating the target of an advertisement corresponding to an "advertising ID", and includes, for example, information indicating a target demographic and information indicating a type of advertising space that is the target.

[0065] The target demographic is, for example, information indicating attributes of a target user U, and is information indicated by demographic attributes and psychographic attributes of the user U, but is not limited to such examples. The types of advertisement space are, for example, advertisement space for search advertisement, advertisement space for display advertisement, advertisement space for video advertisement, advertisement space for native advertisement, etc., but are not limited to such examples.

[0066] The "declared amount" is the declared amount v set by the advertiser A for the advertisement corresponding to the "advertising ID", and is, for example, the average amount of the charge (winning bid amount) desired by the advertiser A, but is not limited to such an example. The "budget" is the budget P of the advertisement corresponding to the "advertising ID". Budget This is information indicating:

[0067] [3.2.3. Successful bid history storage unit 22] The bidding history storage unit 22 stores the bidding history in the auctions. For example, the bidding history storage unit 22 stores the bidding history in the first price auction and the bidding history in the second price auction.

[0068] The bidding history in a first-price auction includes bidding information for each bidding process, including, for example, information indicating the bid amount for each advertisement, information indicating the date and time of the bidding, information indicating the amount charged (bidding amount), information indicating the target demographic, and information indicating the advertising space.

[0069] The bidding history in a second-price auction includes bidding information for each bidding process, including, for example, information indicating the declared amount v of each advertisement, information indicating the bid amount b of each advertisement, information indicating the reserve price r, information indicating the date and time of the successful bid, information indicating the amount charged (successful bid amount), information indicating the target demographic, and information indicating the advertising space.

[0070] [3.3. Processing section 12] The processing unit 12 is a controller, and is realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit) by executing various programs (corresponding to an example of an information processing program) stored in a storage device inside the information processing device 1 using a RAM or the like as a working area.

[0071] Furthermore, the processing unit 12 is a controller, and may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a general purpose graphic processing unit (GPGPU).

[0072] 3, the processing unit 12 has an acquisition unit 30, a reception unit 31, a setting unit 32, a constraint value determination unit 33, a distribution target determination unit 34, a price determination unit 35, a judgment unit 36, a billing amount determination unit 37, and a distribution unit 38, and realizes or executes the functions and actions of information processing described below. Note that the internal configuration of the processing unit 12 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may be other configurations as long as they perform the information processing described below.

[0073] [3.3.1. Acquisition part 30] The acquisition unit 30 acquires various pieces of information. For example, the acquisition unit 30 acquires various pieces of information from an external information processing device or a terminal device 2 via the communication unit 10.

[0074] For example, the acquisition unit 30 acquires user information transmitted from an external information processing device or the terminal device 2, and updates the user information table stored in the user information storage unit 20 based on the acquired user information.

[0075] Furthermore, the acquiring unit 30 acquires information included in various requests accepted by the accepting unit 31. For example, the acquiring unit 30 acquires information included in submission information, which is information on submissions accepted by the accepting unit 31, and updates the advertisement information table stored in the advertisement information storage unit 21 based on the acquired information.

[0076] In addition, the acquisition unit 30 acquires various information from the storage unit 11. The acquisition unit 30 acquires user U information from the user information storage unit 20, and acquires advertisement information (submission information) from the advertisement information storage unit 21. In addition, the acquisition unit 30 acquires a successful bid history from the successful bid history storage unit 22.

[0077] [3.3.2. Reception Unit 31] The reception unit 31 receives various requests and various pieces of information from the terminal device 2, the terminal device 3, an external information processing device, or the like via the communication unit .

[0078] The reception unit 31 receives advertisement submissions for an auction of advertisements to be distributed. The reception unit 31 receives submission information transmitted from the terminal device 2 of the advertiser A, for example, to receive the submissions of advertisements from each advertiser A for the auction.

[0079] For example, the receiving unit 31 receives advertisement submissions for a first price auction of the advertisement to be distributed, and also receives advertisement submissions for a second price auction of the advertisement to be distributed.

[0080] The submission information for the first price auction includes, for example, the advertisement to be distributed, information indicating the target demographic of the advertisement, information indicating the declared amount v for the bid, and the budget P BudgetThe advertisement to be delivered is, for example, a search advertisement, a display advertisement, a video advertisement, a native advertisement, or the like.

[0081] The information indicating the target demographic of the advertisement is, for example, information indicating the attributes of the user U who is the target of the advertisement, such as demographic attributes and psychographic attributes. The demographic attributes are, for example, age, sex, residence, occupation, etc., and the psychographic attributes are, but are not limited to, interests, preferences, lifestyle, etc.

[0082] The declared amount v is, for example, the average amount of the charge (winning bid amount) desired by the advertiser A, and is set by the advertiser A. Budget P Budget is, for example, the upper limit of the cost required to deliver the advertisement to be delivered. For example, the budget P Budget is a daily unit budget amount, but is not limited to such an example. For example, it may be a budget amount per several hours or per several days.

[0083] [3.3.3. Setting section 32] The setting unit 32 sets the bid amount b according to the declared amount v included in the submission information, which is the information on the submission accepted by the accepting unit 31. For example, the setting unit 32 sets the value obtained by using the above formula (1) as the bid amount b. In the above formula (1), the amount obtained by multiplying the declared amount v by the coefficient α is set as the bid amount b.

[0084] The setting unit 32 calculates and sets the coefficient α so as to satisfy the ROAS constraint and the budget constraint. For example, the setting unit 32 calculates and sets the coefficient α so as to satisfy the budget P Budget A coefficient α is set such that the average of the charge amount, which is the amount paid by advertiser A for each ad delivery, is predicted to be equal to or less than the declared amount v. The term "near the declared amount v" means that the average of the charge amount is less than the declared amount v and is within ±n% (n is a positive number) of the declared amount v, but is not limited to this example.

[0085] The setting unit 32 can set the coefficient α based on, for example, a past successful bid history, etc. For example, the setting unit 32 can set the coefficient α for each target demographic or for each advertisement.

[0086] The past bidding history is, for example, a past bidding history from a second-price auction conducted by the information processing device 1, but is not limited to such an example, and in addition to or instead of the past bidding history from a second-price auction, it may also include a past bidding history from a first-price auction conducted by the information processing device 1 or an external information processing device.

[0087] For example, the setting unit 32 can calculate the average amount charged to advertiser A who won a bid with the highest bid amount in the past successful bid history for each highest bid amount or for each combination of the highest bid amount and the target demographic. The setting unit 32 can determine the highest bid amount in the past successful bid history when the average amount charged is equal to or less than the declared amount v and is close to the declared amount v, and obtain the coefficient α by dividing the fixed bid amount by the declared amount v.

[0088] [3.3.4. Constraint Value Determination Unit 33] The constraint value determination unit 33 determines the budget P Budget Based on this, the upper limit of the reserve price r, which is the lower limit of the amount charged to advertiser A (the winning bid amount), is determined by the budget constraint. Budget is determined for each submission.

[0089] The constraint value determination unit 33 determines, for example, the budget P Budget Based on the past winning bids in the first-price auction, the constraint value r Budget In this case, the information processing device 1 uses, for example, information indicating the winning bid price on the previous day in the first price auction as the past winning bid history in the first price auction.

[0090] For example, the constraint value determination unit 33 determines whether the total winning bid amount is within the budget P BudgetThe predicted bid amount is the constraint value r Budget The constraint value r can be determined as Budget is, for example, a value for each target layer, but is not limited to such an example.

[0091] The constraint value determination unit 33 determines the constraint value r Budget Assuming that the bid amount is b, the budget P Budget The constraint value r is set so that it does not use up all Budget Let us assume that.

[0092] The constraint value determination unit 33 may use the past bidding history in the second price auction instead of or in addition to the past bidding history in the first price auction.

[0093] In this case, the constraint value determination unit 33 determines whether the total of the winning bids is greater than the budget P Budget Above and budget P Budget Based on the average winning bid amount at the bid price that is predicted to exhaust Budget The average value of the successful bid price is, for example, the lower limit of the average value of the successful bid price, or an amount higher than the lower limit by a predetermined percentage or amount, but is not limited to such examples.

[0094] [3.3.5. Distribution target determination unit 34] The distribution target determination unit 34 determines the advertisement with the first price (highest amount) bid amount b among the bid amounts b of the multiple advertisements to be auctioned as the advertisement to be distributed. The advertisement to be auctioned is, for example, an advertisement whose target demographic is the user U to whom the advertisement is to be distributed, but is not limited to this example.

[0095] [3.3.6. Price determination unit 35] The price determination unit 35 determines a declared amount v that is set by the advertiser A of the target advertisement and serves as a basis for the bid amount b of the target advertisement and a constraint value r of the target advertisement. Budget Based on this, a reserve price r, which is the lower limit of the amount to be charged to advertiser A for the advertisement to be delivered, is determined.

[0096] For example, the price determination unit 35 uses the above formula (2) to determine the declared amount v and the constraint value r set by the advertiser A of the advertisement to be distributed. Budget The price determination unit 35 multiplies the smaller of the two by the coefficient β to determine the reserve price r. Note that, when the declared amount v is treated as the bid amount b, the price determination unit 35 multiplies the bid amount b and the constraint value r by the coefficient β. Budget The reserve price r is determined by multiplying the smaller of these amounts by the coefficient β.

[0097] Introducing the reserve price r is expected to improve social surplus. When the charge rate is low, the coefficient α used to calculate the bid amount b becomes large, which has the effect of taking away goods from advertisements that are truly valuable. By raising the charge rate and reducing the coefficient α used to calculate the bid amount b, it is expected that the taking away of goods from advertisements that are truly valuable will be reduced, and social surplus can be expected to improve.

[0098] Also, as shown in the above formula (2), min(v,r Budget ) as the constraint value r Budget Since the upper limit of the reserve price r is determined by, the upper limit of the reserve price r can be set based on the budget constraint.

[0099] 6 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of the reserve price r determined by the price determination unit 35 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment, and is an example of a graph showing the relationship between the cost (total amount charged: Spend) and the effect (Return) when the target (target) of the declared amount v is a CPC, etc. In the following, the effect (Return) will be described as the number of conversions, but is not limited to this example.

[0100] In the graph shown in FIG. 6, consider the cases where the relationship between the cost and the CV number for the declared amount v is point P1 and point P2. When the relationship between the cost and the CV number is point P1, the declared amount v is higher than the declared amount v. +If you set it to v, the number of conversions will increase, but the average amount charged (winning bid) will be higher than the declared amount v, violating the ROAS constraint, and the declared amount v will be lower than the declared amount v. - If set, the number of CVs will decrease.

[0101] On the other hand, when the relationship between cost and CV number is at point P2, the declared amount v is higher than the declared amount v + If the cost increases with the increase in the declared amount v, the number of CVs decreases due to the budget constraint, and the declared amount v is lower than the declared amount v. - If you do this, the number of conversions will increase.

[0102] In this way, the cost is budget P Budget If the budget constraint is reached, the budget P Budget Since the budget for advertiser A is used up, Budget As long as the number of conversions can be increased, it is desirable and cost-effective.

[0103] The information processing device 1 calculates a constraint value r Budget This sets an upper limit on the reserve price r, which makes advertiser A lose the motivation to tune the declared amount v.

[0104] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the characteristics of the reserve price r determined by the price determination unit 35 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment, in which the target (target) of the declared amount v is, for example, a CPC and the constraint value r Budget 7 is an example of a graph showing the relationship between cost (total amount charged: Spend) and effectiveness (Return) when the upper limit of the reserve price r is set by . As shown by point P3 in Fig. 7, the advertiser becomes robust against changes in the declared amount v, and the advertiser A loses motivation to tune the declared amount v.

[0105] Here, we will specifically explain why the advertiser does not need to adjust the declared amount v when the ROAS constraint is dominant, and why the advertiser does not need to adjust the declared amount v when the budget constraint is dominant. First, we will explain the relationship between cost and ROAS when the ROAS constraint is dominant.

[0106] 8 is a diagram showing a premise for explaining an example of the relationship between the cost and the ROAS when the reserve price r determined by the price determination unit 35 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment is used in a case where the ROAS constraint is dominant. In the example shown in FIG. 8, six successful bid processes are performed in which the second prices are 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600.

[0107] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the declared amount v is 300, the coefficient β is 0.5, and the budget P Budget is 2500, the coefficient α is 1.5, and the constraint value r Budget In this example, the target advertisement is one for which the declared amount v is less than the budget P Budget is lower than the ROAS constraints.

[0108] Constraint value r Budget is the budget P Budget It is calculated by calculating the bid amount that can be used up. When the bid amount is 500, you can buy 5 requests with a second price of 500 or less, so 500 x 5 = 2500 = P Budget Therefore, rr Budget =500.

[0109] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS when the reserve price r determined by the price determination unit 35 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment is used under the premise shown in FIG.

[0110] In the example shown in Fig. 8, the bid amount b = 420 (= 300 x 1.5), so the reserve price r = 150 (= 300 x 0.5), and as shown in Fig. 9(a), the bid amount b for the target advertisement is set as the highest bid amount in four winning bid processes where the second prices are 100, 200, 300, and 400. Therefore, the cost is 1050 (= 150 + 200 + 300 + 400), and the ROAS is 262.5 (= 1050 / 4).

[0111] If the declared amount v is changed from 300 to 250, the bid amount b becomes 375 (= 250 x 1.5) and the reserve price r becomes 125 (= 250 x 0.5), so as shown in Figure 9 (b), the bid amount b of the target advertisement is the highest bid amount in the three winning bid processes where the second prices are 100, 200, and 300. Therefore, the cost becomes 625 (= 125 + 200 + 300) and the ROAS becomes 208.3 (= 625 / 3).

[0112] Furthermore, if the declared amount v is changed from 300 to 350, the bid amount b becomes 525 (=350×1.5) and the reserve price r becomes 175 (=350×0.5), so as shown in (c) of Figure 9, the bid amount b of the target advertisement is the highest bid amount in five winning bid processes where the second prices are 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500. Therefore, the cost becomes 1575 (=175+200+300+400+500) and the ROAS becomes 315 (=1575 / 5).

[0113] In this way, when the ROAS constraint is dominant, decreasing the declared amount v will result in a smaller ROAS but also a smaller number of successful bids, and increasing the declared amount v will result in a larger ROAS and a larger number of successful bids.

[0114] Next, the relationship between cost and ROAS when budget constraints are dominant will be described. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the premise for explaining an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS when the reserve price r determined by the price determination unit 35 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment is used when budget constraints are dominant. In the example shown in Fig. 10, five bidding processes with second prices of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 are performed.

[0115] Constraint value r Budget is the budget P Budget It is calculated by calculating the bid amount that can be used up. When the bid amount is 300, you can buy three requests whose second price is less than 300, and the total is 300 x 3 = 900 = P Budget Therefore, rr Budget =300.

[0116] In the example shown in FIG. 10, the declared amount v is 350, the coefficient β is 0.5, and the budget P Budget is 900, the coefficient α is 1.5, and the constraint value r Budget In this example, the target advertisement is one for which the declared amount v is greater than the constraint value r Budget is higher than the average, and budget constraints dominate.

[0117] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between cost and ROAS when the reserve price r determined by the price determination unit 35 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment is used under the premise shown in FIG.

[0118] In the example shown in Figure 10, the bid amount b = 525 (= 350 × 1.5) and the reserve price r = 150 (= 300 × 0.5), but the budget P Budget 11(a), the bid b for the target advertisement is the highest bid in the three winning bid processes with second prices of 100, 200, and 300. Therefore, the cost is 650 (=150+200+300), and the ROAS is 216.7 (=650 / 3).

[0119] If the declared amount v is changed from 350 to 400, the bid amount b becomes 600 (= 400 × 1.5) and the reserve price r becomes 200 (= 400 × 0.5), but the budget P Budget 11(b), the bid b for the target advertisement is the highest bid in the three winning bid processes with second prices of 100, 200, and 300. Therefore, the cost is 650 (=150+200+300), and the ROAS is 216.7 (=650 / 3).

[0120] If the declared amount v is reduced from 350 to 300, the bid amount b becomes 450 (= 300 × 1.5) and the reserve price r becomes 150 (= 300 × 0.5), but the budget P Budget 11(c), the bid b for the target advertisement is the highest bid in the three winning bid processes with second prices of 100, 200, and 300. Therefore, the cost is 650 (=150+200+300), and the ROAS is 216.7 (=650 / 3).

[0121] In this way, when budget constraints are dominant, the number of successful bids and costs do not change whether the declared amount v is reduced or increased, and the ROAS does not change.

[0122] If the declared amount v is further increased from 300 to 180, the state where the budget constraint is dominant changes to the ROAS constraint, and as shown in FIG. 11(d), the bid amount b becomes 270 (=180×1.5) and the reserve price r becomes 90 (=180×0.5), so that the bid amount b of the target advertisement is the highest bid amount in the two successful bid processes where the second prices are 100 and 200. Therefore, the cost becomes 300 (=100+200) and the ROAS becomes 150 (=300 / 2).

[0123] [3.3.7. Judgment unit 36] The determination unit 36 ​​determines whether the reserve price r is higher than the second price. That is, the determination unit 36 ​​determines whether the second price, which is the second highest bid amount b after the bid amount b of the advertisement to be distributed, is higher than the reserve price r.

[0124] [3.3.8. Charge amount determination section 37] If the determination unit 36 ​​determines that the reserve price r is higher than the second price, the charge determination unit 37 determines the reserve price r as the charge to advertiser A for the advertisement to be distributed.

[0125] Furthermore, if the determination unit 36 ​​determines that the reserve price r is not higher than the second price, the charge determination unit 37 determines the second price as the charge to advertiser A for the advertisement to be distributed.

[0126] [3.3.9. Distribution Unit 38] The distribution unit 38 distributes the target advertisement determined by the distribution target determination unit 34 to the terminal device 3 of the user U to be the target of distribution, thereby displaying the target advertisement determined by the distribution target determination unit 34 in the advertising space to be the target of distribution.

[0127] 4. Processing Procedure Next, a procedure of information processing by the processing unit 12 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of information processing by the processing unit 12 of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment.

[0128] 12, the processing unit 12 of the information processing device 1 determines whether or not the submission of an advertisement has been accepted (step S10). When the processing unit 12 determines that the submission of an advertisement has been accepted (step S10: Yes), the processing unit 12 stores submission information, which is information on the accepted submission, in the storage unit 11 (step S11). Then, the processing unit 12 sets a bid amount b for the advertisement whose submission has been accepted (step S12) and a constraint value r corresponding to the advertisement whose submission has been accepted. Budget is determined (step S13).

[0129] When the process of step S13 is completed, or when it is determined that the advertisement submission has not been accepted (step S10: No), the processing unit 12 determines whether or not the timing for the successful bid process has arrived (step S14).

[0130] The successful bid processing timing is, for example, but not limited to, the timing when the advertisement request is accepted by the processing unit 12. The advertisement request is a request transmitted from the terminal device 2 on which the advertisement space is displayed, and includes the user ID of the user U of the terminal device 2, information on the advertisement space, and the like.

[0131] When the processing unit 12 determines that the timing for the successful bid process has arrived (step S14: Yes), it determines the advertisement with the highest bid amount b among the bid amounts b of the advertisements as the advertisement to be distributed (step S15). Then, the processing unit 12 distributes the advertisement to be distributed to the terminal device 2 to be the distribution target (step S16).

[0132] In addition, the processing unit 12 determines the constraint value r Budget and the declared amount v by advertiser A of the advertisement to be distributed (step S17). Then, the processing unit 12 determines the reserve price r based on the reserve price r, the second price, and the first price, and determines the amount to be charged to advertiser A of the advertisement to be distributed (successful bid amount) based on the reserve price r, the second price, and the first price (step S18).

[0133] When the process of step S18 is completed or when it is determined that the time for the successful bid process has not come (step S14: No), the processing unit 12 determines whether or not the operation end time has come (step S19). The processing unit 12 determines that the operation end time has come when, for example, the power supply of the information processing device 1 is turned off.

[0134] If the processing unit 12 determines that the operation end time has not arrived (step S19: No), it transitions to step S10, and if it determines that the operation end time has arrived (step S19: Yes), it terminates the processing shown in FIG. 12.

[0135] 5. Modifications In the above example, the price determination unit 35 determines the reserve price r based on the ROAS constraint and the budget constraint, but the reserve price r can also be determined based on the budget constraint without using the ROAS constraint. In this case, the reserve price r is expressed by the following formula (4). r = β × r Budget (4)

[0136] In the above example, the target is CV and the charge amount is CPC (Cost Per Click), but the charge amount may be CPA (Cost Per Action) instead of CPC. In this case, the bid amount b is expressed by the following formula (5) using pCVR, which is the predicted CVR (Conversion Rate), and the reserve price r is expressed by the following formula (6). However, bid amount b=r Budget ×pCVR with budget P Budget The constraint value r is used up Budget In the following formula (6), the budget constraint is a constraint on the sum of costs, and the ROAS constraint is an average CPA constraint. b = α × v × pCVR (5) r = β × min(v × pCVR,r Budget ) ···(6)

[0137] Furthermore, the coefficient β is the same value for each advertiser A, but this is not limited to the example. For example, the price determination unit 35 can set the coefficient β for each advertiser A. For example, the price determination unit 35 can set a smaller coefficient β for an advertiser A with poorer prediction accuracy of the budget constraint. The prediction accuracy of the budget constraint is determined by the constraint value r Budget However, the present invention is not limited to such an example.

[0138] Furthermore, the price determination unit 35 can set a coefficient β for each attribute of the user U to whom the advertisement is to be delivered, and can also set a coefficient β for each combination of the attribute of the user U and the advertiser A.

[0139] [6. Hardware Configuration] The information processing device 1 according to the embodiment described above is realized by a computer 80 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 13, for example. Fig. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an example of the computer 80 that realizes the functions of the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment. The computer 80 has a CPU 81, a RAM 82, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 83, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 84, a communication interface (I / F) 85, an input / output interface (I / F) 86, and a media interface (I / F) 87.

[0140] The CPU 81 operates and controls each part based on a program stored in the ROM 83 or the HDD 84. The ROM 83 stores a boot program executed by the CPU 81 when the computer 80 is started up, and programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 80.

[0141] The HDD 84 stores programs executed by the CPU 81, data used by such programs, etc. The communication interface 85 receives data from other devices via the network N (see FIG. 2) and sends it to the CPU 81, and transmits data generated by the CPU 81 to other devices via the network N.

[0142] The CPU 81 controls output devices such as a display and a printer, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, via the input / output interface 86. The CPU 81 acquires data from the input devices via the input / output interface 86. The CPU 81 also outputs data generated via the input / output interface 86 to the output devices.

[0143] The media interface 87 reads a program or data stored in a recording medium 88 and provides it to the CPU 81 via the RAM 82. The CPU 81 loads the program from the recording medium 88 onto the RAM 82 via the media interface 87 and executes the loaded program. The recording medium 88 is, for example, an optical recording medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a PD (Phase change rewritable Disc), a magneto-optical recording medium such as an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory.

[0144] For example, when the computer 80 functions as the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment, the CPU 81 of the computer 80 executes a program loaded onto the RAM 82 to realize the function of the processing unit 12. In addition, the HDD 84 stores data in the storage unit 11. The CPU 81 of the computer 80 reads and executes these programs from a recording medium 88, but as another example, these programs may be obtained from another device via the network N.

[0145] [7. Other] In addition, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by a known method. In addition, the information including the processing procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed arbitrarily unless otherwise specified. For example, the various information shown in each drawing is not limited to the illustrated information.

[0146] In addition, each component of each device shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc.

[0147] For example, the above-mentioned information processing device 1 may be realized by a terminal device and a server computer, or may be realized by multiple server computers. Also, depending on the functions, the configuration can be flexibly changed, such as by calling an external platform using an API or network computing.

[0148] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications can be appropriately combined as long as the processing contents are not contradictory.

[0149] Advertising budget P Budget is a budget for an advertising campaign when the advertisement to be delivered is an advertisement in an advertising campaign that includes multiple advertisements.

[0150] 8. Effects As described above, the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment includes a reception unit 31, a constraint value determination unit 33, a price determination unit 35, a judgment unit 36, and a charge amount determination unit 37. The reception unit 31 receives an advertisement submitted for a second price auction. The constraint value determination unit 33 determines a constraint value r based on a budget for the advertisement, the constraint value r being a lower limit of the charge amount to be charged to the advertiser A for the advertisement, from a budget constraint. Budget The price determination unit 35 determines the declared amount v and the constraint value r that are set by the advertiser A and serve as the basis for the bid price of the advertisement. Budget The reserve price r is determined based on the second price. The determination unit 36 ​​determines whether the reserve price r is higher than the second price. When the determination unit 36 ​​determines that the reserve price r is higher than the second price, the charge amount determination unit 37 determines the reserve price r as the charge amount to be charged to the advertiser A. This allows the information processing device 1 to appropriately determine the reserve price r.

[0151] In addition, the constraint value determination unit 33 determines the advertising budget P Budget Based on the past bidding history, the constraint value r BudgetThis allows the information processing device 1 to appropriately determine the reserve price r.

[0152] In addition, the constraint value determination unit 33 determines the advertising budget P Budget Based on the past winning bids in the first-price auction, the constraint value r Budge This enables the information processing device 1 to appropriately determine the reserve price r.

[0153] Moreover, the information processing device 1 includes a setting unit 32 that sets a value obtained by multiplying the declared amount v by a coefficient α as the bid amount b. This enables the information processing device 1 to appropriately determine the reserve price r.

[0154] In addition, the price determination unit 35 determines the declared amount v and the constraint value r Budget The smaller of these two amounts is multiplied by the coefficient β to determine the value as the reserve price r. This allows the information processing device 1 to appropriately determine the reserve price r.

[0155] The above describes the embodiment of the present application in detail based on the drawings, but this is merely an example, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms that include various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the forms described in the Disclosure of the Invention section.

[0156] Furthermore, the above-mentioned "section, module, unit" can be read as "means" or "circuit", etc. For example, an acquisition section can be read as an acquisition means or an acquisition circuit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0157] 1. Information processing device 2,3 Terminal Equipment 10. Communications Department 11 Storage section 12 Processing section 20 User information storage unit 21 Advertising information storage unit 30 Acquisition Department 31 Reception 32 Setting section 33 Constraint Value Determination Unit 34 Distribution Target Decision Unit 35 Price Determination Department 36 Judgment section 37 Billing amount determination section 38 Distribution Department 100 Information Processing Systems N Network

Claims

1. a reception unit that receives advertisement submissions for second price auctions; a constraint value determination unit that determines a constraint value that specifies an upper limit of a reserve price, which is a lower limit of an amount charged to an advertiser for the advertisement, from a budget constraint based on the budget for the advertisement; a price determination unit that determines the reserve price based on a declared amount set by the advertiser and serving as a reference for a bid amount for the advertisement and the constraint value; a determination unit that determines whether the reserve price is higher than a second price; a charge amount determination unit that determines the reserve price as a charge amount to be charged to the advertiser when the determination unit determines that the reserve price is higher than the second price.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. The constraint value determination unit The constraint value is determined based on the advertising budget and past winning bid history.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The constraint value determination unit The constraint value is determined based on the advertising budget and the past winning bid history of the first price auction.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. A setting unit that sets a value obtained by multiplying the declared amount by a coefficient as the bid amount.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

5. The price determination unit is The value obtained by multiplying the smaller of the declared amount and the constraint value by a coefficient is determined as the reserve price.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a computer.

6. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: a receiving step of receiving advertisement submissions for second-price auctions; a constraint value determination step of determining a constraint value that specifies an upper limit of a reserve price, which is a lower limit of an amount charged to an advertiser for the advertisement, from a budget constraint based on the budget for the advertisement; a price determination step of determining the reserve price based on a declared amount set by the advertiser and serving as a standard for a bid amount for the advertisement and the constraint value; a determination step of determining whether the reserve price is higher than a second price; and a charge amount determination step of determining the reserve price as a charge amount to be charged to the advertiser when the determination step determines that the reserve price is higher than the second price.

23. An information processing method comprising:

7. A procedure for accepting advertisement submissions for second-price auctions; a constraint value determination step of determining a constraint value that specifies an upper limit of a reserve price, which is a lower limit of an amount charged to an advertiser for the advertisement, from a budget constraint based on the budget for the advertisement; a price determination step of determining the reserve price based on a declared amount set by the advertiser and serving as a basis for a bid amount for the advertisement and the constraint value; a determination step of determining whether the reserve price is higher than a second price; a charge amount determination step of determining the reserve price as a charge amount to be charged to the advertiser when the reserve price is determined to be higher than the second price by the determination step.

2. An information processing program comprising:

Images